LYON, France – During a visit to INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters today, the Director General of Djibouti National Police, Colonel Abdillahi Abdi Farah discussed ways to strengthen international police cooperation.

Meeting with senior INTERPOL officials, Colonel Farah was briefed on the Organization’s global tools and services, as well as INTERPOL’s current activities to support member countries in combating all forms of transnational crime.

“Only through international cooperation can we ensure the safety of the world’s citizens – no country can do this single-handedly, whatever its wealth or abilities,” said Colonel Farah.

“Our visit to INTERPOL is of immense value to the Djibouti police, for it teaches us how we can collaborate more closely with law enforcement across the entire world,” he concluded.

Discussions regarding the INTERPOL Travel Document, which Djibouti has officially recognized, encouraged the country to implement the initiative by determining which type of visa facilitation it will offer to Document holders.

Currently recognized by 67 countries, the INTERPOL Travel Document enables the Organization to provide faster on-site support to member countries requesting assistance, with countries granting visa facilitations to INTERPOL officials and police travelling on official business.

The Director General and his delegation were also updated on INTERPOL’s ongoing initiatives in environmental security, trafficking in illicit goods and counterfeiting, and pharmaceutical crime.

In addition to hosting a training course on criminal data analysis as part of the European Union-funded Critical Maritime Routes – Law Enforcement (CRIMLEA) programme, Djibouti has also participated in a number of other INTERPOL capacity building courses on topics including counter-terrorism and combating human trafficking.